Improvement in endless rope-ways



N0 121,776. Patented Dec.12,1871.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEToE.

ANDREW S. HALLIDIE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN ENDLESS ROPE-WAYS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,776, dated December 12, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW S. HALLIDIE, of San Francisco, in the county oi San Francisco and in the State of California, have invented an Improved Endless Rope-Way, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

In a rope-way in which an endless moving rope is employed the weight attached to the hanger, if very great,will'have a tendency to pull the rope down at the point at which the hanger is attached with so much force as to prevent its entering the groove of an inclined or horizontal end pulley, or guide lor bearing-pulley employed at the outer angles of the. line; and it is found in practice that the vibrations and undulatory movements to which the rope is subject will'occasionally have the same eii'ect, and sometimes even throw the rope out of the groove if suitable means are not taken to prevent it. Inclined or horizontal pulleys, if employed at the inner angles of the line, would come in contact with the suspension-rods or necessitate the employment of a very long arm to the hangers. The object of my invention is to overcome or provide a remedy for these difliculties. My invention relates to the form and arrangement of the bearing and guide-pulleys employed at the angles and ends of the line, vand consists: First, of the combination of the vertical guide or bearing-pulleys having only one flange with the horizontal or inclined end pulleys, or guide or bearing-pulleys employed at the outer angles ofthe line, for the purpose of securing by this combination the entrance of the rope into the groove and of preventing its escape therefrom. Second, of the employment at the inner or outer angles of the line of vertical or nearly-vertical bearing-pulleys, arranged with their axles at right angles, or nearly at right angles, to a vertical plane passing through the approaching part of the rope, by which arrangement the entrance of the rope to the groove is secured and any unnecessary amount of bending of the rope is avoided, and by which, consequently, the resistance arising from the stiiiness oi' the rope is reduced to a minimum. Third, of the combination of the vertical bearing-pulleys with a swinging bracket that may be clamped in any desired position, whereby1 the position of the vertical bearing-pulleys may be reversed, and at the inner angles of the line automatically when the direction of the motion of the rope is changed.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a plan of a part of the details of a line' of endless rope-way embodying my invention, and designed to move in either direction if required, and in which three angles of about forty-rive degrees each are shown. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 represent various combinations of details of rope-way illustrating my invention.

Each part is distinguished by the same letter whenever it appears in the drawing.

A is the outer angle or end pulley, which, although shown in the drawing in a horizontal position, will be inclined, according to circumstances, at all angles with the horizon, as it should always be placed in and coincide with the plane in which the rope both approaches and recedes from its groove. When it is vertical or only slightly inclined from the vertical the pulley B cannot well be employed with it; or, in other words, the pulley B would vanish when the pulley A becomes vertical; neither in that case will there be any necessity for the employment of pulley B, but a part of its office will then be filled by pulley G and the rest by pulley A. B is a pulley employed to secure the entrance of the rope to the groove of pulley A and to prevent its escape therefrom. rllhe pulley B differs from pulleys heretofore used by me for this purpose in having only one tlange. By doing away with the inner flange I am enabled to place the pulley B quite close to the pulley A to prevent the escape ofthe rope fromfthe groove, as shown in all of the figures; and the face of the pulley B may be so modified as to sustain a greater or less portion of the weight of the rope at or near the point at which the rope comes in contact with the face or groove of pulley A, as shown in Fig. 3, and at C, Figs. 4 and 5. When the rope is to move in either direction and the angle is great, as around an end pulley, two pulleys, B, should be employed with each pulley A, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5; but if the angle is small or the load on each hanger light, one may answer the purpose, as shown in Fig. l. D and E are hangers, and F the suspensionrod. When hangers are usedpermanently attached to the rope the grooves and ianges ofthe pulleys A and B must be so arranged and proportioned (see all of the gures) as to allow of the passage ofthe hanger; but if the suspension-rods are attached to saddles that detach themselves automatimllly from the l rope when passing` the end or bearing]uilleys. the eonlbined grooves and lianges ot' the two pulleys A and B may entirely inelose the rope. and the saddle may pass over above the pulley A or when pulleys (i are employed. are pulleys that prevent the escape ot' the rope troni the groove in an upward direetion, and diii'er essentially troni pulleys l in heine' plaeed above the rope instead ol` below, and consequently in never l supporting any part o1' the weight ot' the rope.

It is evident that the alnove-described eolnhination of the pulleys A and B can only he elni ployed at the ends or outer angles ot' the line, l for if employed at the inner angles an inipracticable length ot' arm ot' the hangers would be reif quired. l therefore elnploy vertical pulleys Il P i I3 at the inner angle of the line. arranged in the plane oi' the approaching'part ot the rope, as represented in Fig'. l. The arrows indicate the direction in which the rope inoves when the pul leys l1, 12, and I are in the position shown in the drawing. J is the rope. The parts ot' the rope between the inner angles are nuinhered Jl, J2, J. und J4. J1 is the part o1' the rope approarhine,` the pulley l. The plane oi' pulley ll is placed, i set, or arranged in a vertical plane passing; through the approaching part J' ot' the rope. rThe pulleys l2 and l are arranged in the saine manner with reterenee to the approaching parts Jz and J3ofthe rope. The rope J is represented for the purpose ot' illustrating' the principle ot'4 this part ot' luy invention as t'ornling sharp anf gies at the very top ot' the pulleys l. l2, and l, and the ptnleys are represented as in a position I correspondinxv to that eireinnstanee; hut the rope l would in practice adhere to and be carried over by the pulleys a considerable distance beyond the top, and leave thenl on a curve nearly as represented bythe line J'". The pulleys l, instead of being attached to sonie innnovahle part ot'ithe training, are secured by their axles to a swinging bracket, K, pivoted by the vertical screw or bolt L. When the pulleys l are set or adjusted in any required position they niay be readily clamped in that position by screwing.l down the screw-bolt L. 5

I t is evident that the above-described arrange nient ol" the pulleys I may be employed either V for the outer or inner angles of a line ot' endless rope-way, and that by means of the swinging bracket K the direction of motion of the rope may be reversed hy first reversing' the position oi" the pulleys lA ll' the brackets K employed at the inner an gles are lel't l'ree to swinginstead ot being firmly elanlped by the screw L the direetion ot' the inotion ot' the rope may be reversed at pleasure, and the rope, when beginning its reversed motion, will torce around the pulleys I and bracket K into a position approximating to that hereinbei'ore deserihed, in which the plane ot' the pulley l eoineides with a vertical plane passing through the approaching part of the rope; but it is evident that when pulleys I and bracket K are eniployed at the outer angles they cannot he reversed autoinatically, and consequently some other device or arrangement must he; employed at the outer angles when the inotion ot' the rope is to be frequently reversed, or reversed auto niatieully.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure hy Letters latent, is

l. The combination of the herein-described pulley A with the herein-described pulley I5, substantially as and for thepurposes hereinheihre set i'orth.

L. The arrangement in an endless rope-way, as herein described, of the pulleys Il or l2 I in a vertical plane passing through the approaching;l

`part otl the rope, suhstantiallv as audi'or the purposes herein set forth.

5. The eonibiuation ot' the pulleys l with the swinging' or adjustable bracket K, substantially as herein described, and for the purposes herein set forth.

ln testimony whereotl I have hereunto set lny hand this lst day of June, A. D. 1871.

ANDREV S. HA LLI DIE. 

